NEW DELHI — The Indian government said on Friday that it has formed a task force to monitor a cheetah introduction project in the central part of the South Asian country.

“The ministry of environment, forest and climate change has constituted a task force for monitoring Cheetah introduction in Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh and other suitable designated areas,” an official statement said.

The task force consists of officials of forests and tourism of the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, and Inspector General of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) in New Delhi Amit Mallick.

According to the environment ministry, the NTCA will facilitate the work of the cheetah task force and render all necessary helps. “The task force shall be in force for a period of two years,” it added.

Last month cheetahs were reintroduced in India decades after their extinction from Indian habitat.

Eight cheetahs — five females and three males — were flown from Windhoek in Namibia to the Madhya Pradesh state in a customized cargo plane. They have been kept at the Kuno National Park.

“Cheetah restoration is part of a prototype or model for restoration of original cheetah habitats and their biodiversity. This will help to stem the degradation and rapid loss of biodiversity,” the environment ministry said.

-Xinhua